accessibility_fail | Recent Entries

So I'm watching the DVD of Bond, Die Another Day. One of the commentaries is Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike. For the first 45 minutes you've just got Pierce on his own - and it's subtitled, so I'm in love.

Then Rosamund shows up. And I'm thinking, I can see her words, why can't I hear her? That's because apparently, he's being played in the left earphone and she's being played in the right. I'm sure this is supposed to be some trick about placement or something, but what it actually means for me is I can either hear her, or him, not both of them. (Deaf in the right ear)

Thankfully the subtitles mean I can still follow what they're both saying, which I'm very glad for, yay subtitles. But I've never met something that was quite this distinct about left/right.

ETA: Yep, they win, all the special features on Disc 2 (this is the UK version) are subtitled.

codeman38

So my local transit system has decided to cut hours on some of the routes that primarily serve campus and student apartments for Spring Break. That's all well and good; they won't be used as much, so it makes sense to reduce the service somewhat. They even have a note on the front page of the site which reads:

"Reduced Service for UGA Spring Break. March 8-12, 2010. See Service Hours for details"

With a link to the Service Hours page. So I follow that link, and I read this:

"UGA Routes: During all University breaks, "reading days" and holidays, Route 12 and Route 14 run on Reduced Service. Also Route 28 Does not run during University breaks and holidays. Call Athens Transit Information for specific times and schedules at [phone number redacted]."

::headdesks repeatedly::

Seriously, people? Half the reason I got a cell phone that can access the web is so I didn't have to deal with mutually frustrating relay calls for things like this...

Bad news for anyone who, I dunno, lives on one of those routes and needs to get to work or something Monday morning! Not to mention, anyone who needs to know the latest they can get back from the other side of town (which, of course, is different than with the normal schedule).

(Edited to add: And no, the schedules page does not list the spring break schedules. That, of course, would actually make sense.)

Current Mood: spacey

jesse_the_k

On Thursday I had my annual mammogram (yes I am that old).

For the last decade, I've done this breast x-ray using my power wheelchair. The firm pressure on my breasts and the pushing & pulling of my limbs is pain enough; I want somewhere comfy to sit during the procedure.

But my brand-new wheelchair decided to suddenly sacrifice one of its motors to the Gods of Uncertainty ... so

sasha_feather kindly chauffeured me & my rolling walker to the clinic.

As I entered the x-ray room, I noticed a chair just out of reach. I asked the x-ray tech, "Can you grab that chair for me. I prefer to sit down."

x-ray tech Oh, no you can't do that. We have to do the mammogram standing up.
J the K I think it will work fine with me sitting. Anyway, I'm not able to stand that long.
x-ray tech I'm sure you can do it this time. We can't get good results if you're sitting down.
J the K Wait a minute, are you saying that, for the last ten years when I've come here in my wheelchair, those films are no good?
x-ray tech Umm, let me get that chair.

Yeah, no.

I'm also going to complain to the clinic.

Current Mood: bitchy

jesse_the_k

(x-posted from my personal journal)

You may have seen Google/YouTube announce the magic of auto-captioning last November.

Gee whiz, they even had a deaf programmer write the blog entry. Things are good, right?

Watch this Bill Moyers interview with David Simon on YouTube. It's got captions. They're automagically generated with voice recognition. Compare the audio tracks and the caption track and be stunned at the high level of errors. Notice that White speakers' words are around 80% correct and Black speakers' words more like 30% correct.

Yes, it takes time to make good on technology's promise. In the meantime, disabled people put up with sub-standard services—and often at premium prices. When they're perfected, they'll be generally available.

These bad captions are particularly frustrating because the original sources were already captioned! Since the 1980s all network PBS (US public television) has been captioned; the same has been true for all HBO (paid US cable network) productions since 1995.

Arghhh.

Current Mood: enraged

killing_rose

Dear College Council and whomever else is planning tonight's "gala":

Here are a couple easy tips about accessibility.

*First, you might want to think about the fact that Loud Noise is problematic to many people for a variety of reasons. But then you shouldn't come to the dance! you argue. Well, yes, I had already decided that I would see what level of Loud Noise you were going to use before committing to attending. This is my policy on any dance or campus event. (You will note, dear representative, that the gala and associated fun things will not be happening until 10pm and it's not even 7.)

*Keeping the first point in mind, however, you might want to think about testing the equipment at a time that makes sense--for instance, when the building closes before the gala. At around, oh, now. Not three hours ago when people were still in the building. Or two hours ago. Or an hour ago. All of which are times when you played the music so loudly that it could be heard within the room where my friends and I were playing board games. Through the door and rattling the walls.

*Secondly, flashing lights are not necessarily what you want. This is two-fold: first off, it gives off a strobe effect at certain speeds and you really don't want to trigger seizures. Secondly, the flashing lights may also cause people with migraines to be triggered or cause visual distortions. (Or other problems that I am not thinking of right now.)

It's unfair that because you didn't think of these two obvious issues, I (and others, given that there were several others who were not handling the noise well) are unable to go to a campus-wide event tonight.

Moreover, because of your poor planning, my evening's pretty much destroyed--my head's pounding, my mouth is dry, and the migraine appears to have moved in for the duration.

All I wanted was a couple rounds of boardgames this afternoon. Was this really so much to ask?

Think about these things a bit more, please. For hell's sake, the idea that there are ways to have a nice dance without brain-shattering levels of noise is not novel. I have been present at quieter concerts. Attended by thousands of people.

No love,
The woman whose night is ruined until the meds kick in (if the meds kick in)

P.S. While I'm on the subject, I should probably warn my neighbor (and friend) that it will be far too loud for his hearing aids to function well.

avendya

Signal boost: Submissions for the 63rd Disability Blog Carnival are due in two days. The theme is relationships. I'd really like to see more Dreamwidth-based people participate, because you all can write. Accessibility fail doesn't just happen - it happens because we live in an ableist society, and I'd wager that accessibility and disability issues extend to your relationships with other people as well.

archersangel

i just came across this book, rick steves' easy access europe: a guide for travelers with limited mobility & thought it would be helpful to anyone planning to travel to europe.

from amazon;

Product Description
From train and rail pass skills to strategies for visiting open-air folk museums, who else but Rick Steves teaches travelers the skills they really need when traveling through Europe? Most guidebooks don't address the needs of travelers with limited mobility, but Rick Steves believes in comfortable and successful travel for everyone. Rick Steves’ Easy Access Europe focuses on Amsterdam, Bruges, London, Paris, and the Rhine. It provides tips on getting around easily whether you're in a wheelchair or just need to walk slowly. America’s top authority on travel to Europe, Rick Steves has done the legwork, discovered the secrets, and made the mistakes — so travelers don't have to. Completely revised and updated, Rick’s time-tested recommendations for safe and enjoyable travel in Europe have been used by millions of Americans in search of their own unique European travel experience. His tips include: accessibility ratings for all sights, hotels, and restaurants, dependable recommendations for traveling on a budget, roll or stroll tours of historic neighborhoods, and advice from other travelers with physical challenges. Smart ideas are offered on everything from social etiquette to booking a hotel and ordering food. This book is an essential item on any European traveler’s checklist.

azurelunatic

If you are out clubbing, and you see someone with whom you would like to dance, and lo, she is boogeying most righteously, more power to the both of you.

If you see that in addition to her righteous boogeying, she is incorporating the use of a cane, hey, there is a noble history of the use of canes in dance, from tap to Egyptian dance. Even though her cane looks more like it came from Walgreen's than any sort of dance supply establishment.

You may even be so bold as to take her free hand, if it's the sort of establishment where one touches one's fellow dancers, and she does not seem opposed to the concept.

One does not grab the hand with the cane.

One does not lift the hand with the cane from where it's been keeping the cane in fairly close contact with the floor.

Yea, even though she may be boogeying most fucking righteously, do not make the mistake of assuming that because the cane is not actively holding her up all of the time and she is stepping about in a sprightly fashion, that she does not actually need that cane for things like keeping her balance, catching herself in the event of sudden knee pain from a misstep, and the occasional bit of active-holding-up as she burns through her stamina.

Dancing like crazy with a cane and complete confidence is, after all, a much better option for her than hobbling around caneless and being stymied by stairs, and fearing to walk further than a block in case her knees should betray her. This is, after all, the weekend club scene in the city, and who the fuck willingly drives in San Francisco when there are other options?

One does not repeatedly yank the hand with the cane around.

One does not engage in an arm-wrestling match for control of where her hand (with the cane) is.

Even though she might not have immediately slapped you silly, this is still not okay. She might have been too shocked and appalled, and too unwilling to start shit on the dance floor when she was having fucking fun and out actually dancing for the first time in fucking years, and the first time with a cane, in celebration of her increased mobility.

In fact, this may be the first time that she's ever had to deal with someone being an appalling creep about the goddamn cane, and she may not be used to setting boundaries like that, because it's never come up before.

Because the vast majority of people are not drunk as fuck assholes who arm-wrestle you for control of your fucking cane, you idiot.

Current Mood: cranky
Current Location: The DNA Lounge, San Francisco, CA
Current Music: Abney Park, 2010 Feb 06, way the fuck early in the morning

jackandahat

Went back in to Remploy, turned out my adviser had had a word with the guy about the cane-snatching after I left. I told him if it happens again, I'm walking and there will be a serious complaint put in. Cane-snatcher apologised then spent the rest of the afternoon ignoring me and refusing to look at me while in the same room. (Yes, he is in fact a grown man and not a six year old. Allegedly.)

So that was sorted... and then my adviser promptly started lecturing me again on how he was sure I could use a phone if it was "Just a bit". Thing is, I know how "Just a bit" works - you start off with a little, then they go "he's coping fine, see?" and give you more, then they ask how why you're not doing your job. He also doesn't seem to understand that I'm not used to phones and I actually don't respond to them. You know how if someone calls someone else's name, you don't look up or respond because it doesn't apply to you? That's me - I'm just not used to phones, so I tend not to register they're ringing. It's a habit rather than a disability but it's due to my disability. It's not me "being awkward"

I don't get it. I'm hard of hearing, why are they the ones not hearing what I say? Why is it so hard to understand that no, I can't hear/understand you if I'm not looking at you? I've told the adviser a few times - get my attention, then when I'm looking at you, talk. Saying "But I called your name" when I had my back to you working on a computer isn't helpful.

And yes. These are the people whose entire job is to help with disability issues.

jackandahat

Right now I'm looking for work, and I've just been sent to an agency - Remploy - who deal with getting disabled people into work. I'm hard of hearing and I have arthritis so I walk with a cane.

I was sat with "my" advisor, Jonathan, getting lectured on how I would be wonderful in this job and I had to think positive thoughts. He yet again pulled the "All you need is adaptive technology" speech - I've discussed with them several times that adapted phones just don't work for me - I've never met one that does, and frankly, it's too much of a bloody struggle.. I was sat down, my cane was propped against my backpack.

The other advisor - I don't know his name, call him Stupid Fuck - picked up my cane and put it behind his back, and started giving a speech about how now no-one would know I was disabled, and I had to think of it like that.

The only thing that kept me from getting up and punching him was knowing I'd lose my benefits if I did. Oh yeah, and the fact he had my cane.

Did I mention this is an agency designed specifically to deal with getting disabled people into work?

So there was absolutely nothing I could do. If I did anything, they'd have stopped my dole money and I wouldn't have been able to afford to, you know, pay rent and eat. I told Jonathan that being told "You don't look disabled" is not helpful, but I was too much in shock to work out what to say about the cane thing - when I go in tomorrow I Will be having words with Stupid Fuck, I just didn't know what to do and he was standing over me.

Anyone else faced this kind of thing? Any ideas what to do/say to him? (I know the obvious is "Put in a complaint", but if that's how the staff act, I suspect they'd laugh in my face.)

jesse_the_k

I'm looking for a handful of iddly-fiddly products (camera case, iPod case, batteries) for one shipping charge. I was pleased to see Newegg.com on a Google search, cause I know they've been in business for more than 10 years. Leap on over to their site and I encounter this:

Screen grab of upper corner of Newegg.com site window, where bright red letters say For optimal viewing, please lower your browser's text size setting

[above is screen grab of upper corner of Newegg.com site window, where bright red letters say For optimal viewing, please lower your browser's text size setting]

Yes, I know it takes more time to design a fluid layout, where I can size my text up to something, y'know, readable.

But in return I will buy your stuff! With real US money! If you hadn't said anything, I would have used Mac OS X's built-in zoom feature and opened my wallet. But, no way, you had to boss your way into my user experience and demand I change my font size!

Current Mood: annoyed

ysobel

The town I live in has a fairly decent public transportation system (which is even accessible, except for the times when they use authentic red London double-decker buses, and you can get a disabled pass that basically gives you free rides) but it's designed around the university, which means that getting from one place to another, when neither of them is near the university, is not always easy.

(this is not the fail. It's annoying, but not fail.)

I have a weekly appointment Fridays at 3pm. Because of the way routes are laid out, I would need to catch a bus at 1:45, ride it for about ten minutes, wait half an hour to transfer to a connecting route, ride it for about five minutes, and be there over half an hour before my appointment. Seriously, I could walk* there faster; it takes less than an hour. A rather miserable less-than-hour if it's cold and rainy, but it's not like the waiting times would be any better.

(* for definitions of walk that translate to using my wheelchair. I think of traveling by wheelchair (without additional vehicles such as being in a van) as walking, but I often confuse people when I say it.)

Now. The place where I lives has a paratransit service. Their official website says, and I quote:

Who May Use This Service?

* Customers who qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
* Disabled customers may be accompanied by a personal attendant at no extra charge when required.
* One unregistered companion may accompany a registered customer, and must pay the 1-way fare.

They are a curb-to-curb service, with the usual fun about how you have to give a 20-minute window (i.e. be available 10 minutes before and after the scheduled time) but the bus will only wait 3 minutes, etc. But basically, it looks like a thing where you can use it if you're disabled, right?

...sort of.

It turns out that you can use it if a) you are disabled, and b) the nature of the disability means that you cannot use any other public transportation service, including the aforementioned bus system.

WTFFF.

(and even more annoyingly: the fare for the bus service is free with a disabled pass, and otherwise $1 per trip; the paratransit is $2.)

ETA: I just realized that they do all communication by phone, which means that an otherwise-independent person with hearing or speech problems is basically screwed. Even better!

azurelunatic

As seen on http://failblog.org:

"I just didn’t feel all that welcome there for some reason."

"Inspirational Fail
Picture by: Bert Submitted by: jwhayne_34 via Fail Uploader
Went to my first and last dance instructional appointment with my wife at the Dance Doctor in Santa Monica, CA"

A little bit of Googling shows that the slogan also repeats on the website. The FAQ says that "Dancing is as easy as walking once you are taught by a Dance Doctor Instructor." So if walking isn't an option, learning with these instructors doesn't seem to be one either.

Granted, dancing on wheels does seem like a very different art than dancing with feet, requiring different instructor skill sets. But oh my goodness, that photo just says it all.

jadelennox

the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Syracuse University will not deploy Kindles in the classroom unless Amazon makes them accessible to blind users. The National Federation of the Blind applauds.

codeman38

(Here's an accessibility fail for you: I was trying to edit one of my posts but accidentally deleted it because the buttons are too close together on my phone screen. And of course, there's no confirmation before the post is deleted if the device you're using doesn't support JavaScript.

Anyway, here's the post I was trying to edit... sorry for losing the comments, guys!)

I just received Pixar's Up on DVD from Netflix.

There are NO CAPTIONS OR SUBTITLES on the Netflix version of the DVD, or at least on the copy that I received. (There aren't any menus or extra shorts, either, but the subtitles are particularly important for me.)

The retail version has subtitles in English, French and Spanish, at least according to the packaging and the reviews that I've found. WHAT HAPPENED HERE?!

I even posted a screenshot on Twitpic of the subtitle menu in Apple's DVD player as proof, because I know nobody's going to believe me. (I checked to see if there was a closed-captioning track, too, because some discs have that but not subtitles; there isn't one of those, either.)

Edited to add: Apparently this isn't a fluke; several other people have tweeted about the Redbox DVD having the same "rental" disc ID and also lacking subtitles. If you're trying to get deaf people to buy the retail DVD, this is so the wrong way to do it, guys.

Edited further to add: At least one confirmation on Twitter of Blockbuster also having the un-captioned version.

Edited still further to add: Just confirmed with my own eyes that one of the Up DVDs in a brick-and-mortar Blockbuster store is the caption-less version... despite the box very clearly showing the icon for subtitles. Anyone up for suing Disney for false representation?

Edited yet again to add: Twitter user TheFarmerJoe contacted Disney and got an explanation: the removal of captioning was intentional, because they view closed captioning as a bonus feature. FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL x 1000.

Current Mood: irritated

codeman38

So I just got a tweet about this interactive discussion from the American Association for People with Disabilities:

FIRST-EVER Organizer's Forum!
Tuesday, November 17 1-2 pm EST
Topic: Working Cross-Disability

So, how are they doing this forum?

We'll have a conference call the 3rd Tuesday of each month, 1-2 pm Eastern time.
[...]
(If you haven't done a conference call before, at the set time, just call the number, listen to the prompt, and when it asks for the code, enter the code, including # sign. Then you will be connected!)

Yep, that's right.

There is, of course, nothing in the description about whether they know how to handle a participant calling via relay, whether there will be real-time captioning provided, or really, what anyone's supposed to do who might not be able to "listen for the prompt".

Folks? Your hearing privilege is showing...

(I really need to add a 'facepalm' icon now that DW offers more icons to free users, heh.)

Current Mood: facepalm

sasha_feather

jesse_the_k and I attended an Assistive Technology Expo the other day. It was held in 2 shiny engineering buildings on a major university campus.

The "accessible" doors that everyone was using to enter the main hall were failtastic. They took a long time to open and swung in such a way as to knock into the footplate of a wheelchair, or possibly into the knees of the wheelchair user pushing the button.

Naturally I took pictures.

( two pictures )

Mostly the Expo was fantastic. There were a couple of other things I noted that could have been done to improve access:
--Provide water service (and possibly food service)
--Provide benches and seating
--Have all the exhibits in one building instead of two (the exhibitors in the 2nd building got a lot less traffic I suspect)

codeman38

(cross-posted to

gimp_vent)

Is it just me, or do phone companies make it as hard as possible to get a smartphone on a data-only plan-- at least now that the Sidekick, what I'm using currently on a grandfathered plan, seems to be dead and gone?

Seriously. The whole reason I want a data-centric phone to begin with? Because I can't hear well on the phone. In any given month, I usually don't use more than 100 minutes of talk time because phone calls are so stressful; in most months, I don't even use 60.

( Let's look at the options... )

So, in other words: If you want a data-centric plan, better prepare to have a credit check and be billed on a postpaid basis, possibly with a 2-year contract required. And you may have to go see a doctor in the process to become eligible. If you want an off-contract option, don't expect to have a nice data-centric phone or a reasonably priced data plan.

Seriously, why aren't there more options for this? There are tons of options for voice plans, but very few choices for people who can't use voice services for whatever reason (or who use them so little as to not even hit 100 minutes in a month).

EDITED TO ADD: ( more about Verizon )

aedifica

Thanks everyone for your comments on this post a month ago about the not-entirely-wheelchair-accessible "accessible" bathroom. I finally wrote the letter last week (incorporating the things that were pointed out in comments), let it sit a week so I could look over it with fresh eyes, edited it to be clearer, and I'm sending it today.

mariness

So on Monday morning I contacted the sole "wheelchair supplier" authorized by Cigna and ordered a wheelchair, even though as it turns out they do not actually supply wheelchairs; they verify the claims/prescriptions for wheelchairs and then contract a supplier to send the actual wheelchair. I was informed that I would hear from them within 48 hours. I was pretty skeptical.

( And rightfully so. )